Sunday's Sermon was very ineresting to me - my church started a series called Life Hurts - God Heals 3 weeks ago. Day 1 was about admitting you need help and that you have a problem (and ALL of us do - no one is perfect in this world) Step 2 was asking for help.

Step 3 was this week and it was how to let go and let God.

Now I don't usually repeat these sermons well, I go by my notes - so if any of the in couse wise men and women want to pipe in here - i would love to hear more about this concept as I love to further study these things.

The base of it was.

Letting Go and letting God requires giving control to God. But many of us can't give up that control. The truth is we want to feel in control, but if we aren't giving control to God - then we are giving control to everything else in the world as there is no way to have control. This results is people feeling STUCK.

Stuck in anger, stuck in resentment, stuck in grief, stuck in relationships, stuck in guilt & shame. Because instead of giving up control and realizing that OURSELVES may be the problem, we get stuck by feeling we cant change it - that so in so is the cause or such and such is the cause and there is nothing we can do about it. Perhaps we try to change or change things around us, but aren't changing the way we saw, and anger sets in. After that fear sets in, that things are never going to change and things will always be this way, and this leads to depression, you start having pity parties - why has this happened to me, why did he do this, why is my job so hard, and so on.

The first thing you have to realize is in reality you have no control. In our cases on MB, we cannot MAKE the marriage happen or control the other person. So what happens when we try - is things dont go as we planned, and we start the anger, fear, pity party cycle. When what we really need is MEEKNESS.

Now most people think of meekness as a weakness, and being weak is not acceptable. we need to be STRONG and IN CONTROL of our lives. The truth is non of us are that strong, or have those strengths, and none of us have control. What Meekness means is "stength under control" It's like being a n ox - we have our strengths, but we have no master to control those strengths - instead we have many other masters pulling on us making our yoke and burden too much to handle - masters such as money, opinions, jobs, media, friends, etc. But jesus wants to be our master and he says in

Matthew 11:28-30:

"Jesus, "Come to me all you who are weary and overburdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me...For my yoke is easy and my burden is light"

This is saying that GOD is in control, and HE holds your reigns and HE controls your stregths. In when you serve only one master ad give all control to Him, your burdens become lighter. The more masters you serve, the heavier your burdens.

But the thing is - many of us are unwilling to take that step - to give ALL control to God. So what is keeping us from taking that step?

Conciously CHOOSE to commite all my life and will to Christ's CARE and CONTROL.

1. Pride - I don't want to admit I need help.

In the world today many of us stand in a false sense of security and strength instead of admitting our weaknesses, inadequecies, and failures. And by doing this, we bring pain (hangups, anger, grief, resentement). When we do this - God will ALLOW our pain to become so great that pride will eventually break on it's own and we realize we do need help and we aren't perfect and we will turn to God. What a hard lesson to learn - having to hit rock bottom first before we will accept God's help. But many of us need to do that as we are TOO prideful to admit we need that help before we hit bottom. By getting rid of that pride before hand, we could save ourselves alot of unessessary pain.

2. Shame : I'm ashames to ask God for help.

Shame makes you want to hide - including from God. You are embarassed that you have inadequecies and faults that have led you to the place you are at. The thing is - you can't hide from God - He has known all about your inadequecies and faults before you knew them. And God STILL loves you despite these things. He wants to help. He says - I LOVE the real YOU and have enough grace for any problem.

3. Fear : I'm affraid of what I'd have to give up

This is where you have to trust God. You can't trust if you fear letting go and giving your life to God. And what is it you are afraid of? That you don't want anyone to control you but you? But don't you realize that you aren't in control? Life controls you! You are already being controlled by pain you can't let go of, education choices, other people's choices, emotions. If you choose to let God control you, you will no longer be controlled by all these things.

If you aren't serving God, then you are always serving something else, and in most cases you are serving your own ego! You may even be a really good person, but you have the wrong master - money, pride. Once you accept that Jesus is your only master, then your history, your money, etc become blessings and no longer things you serve and things that control you.

4. Worry : I confuse the decision phase with the problem-solving phase.

Making a decision doesn't mean that problems are solved. You can't line up solutions before deciding. That is like wanting to go for supper, but not deciding until you know ALL the lights are green. You decide to go for supper first, and then hit lights as they come up. You have to make the decision and then begin the process of A to B. The process is always second. So why are you waiting to make the decision to trust in God and let him have control? Make the decision and then watch the process unravel.

Christian life is a decision followed by a process. God wants to come to him.

He does this by softening you up. In WW2, when US forces took a Japanese island - they never failed. They would first send in bombers and bomb the island - softening it up for the Navy to come in and set up a beachhead. Once this beachhead was set up - the Navy never failed. It became a process once they set up that beachhead.

God wants that beachhead in you - he will keep bombarding you in life to soften you up until he can set up that beachhead in you and start to make the changes. He wants to show you that you CAN'T control it - that you can't control life - only He can.

"God, who began the good work within you, will keep right on helping you grow in His grace until His love is finally finished" Philippians 1:8

5. Doubt : my faith seems so small....

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed...nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

So you say - I want to believe, but I have so many doubts. Doubts are okay and perfectly normal, as long as you believe. Ask God for help with your unbelief. The size of your faith does not matter to God, what matters is where you are putting that faith - in Him? Or in jobs, friends, yourself, governments, sayings, family, etc.

So how do I take this step?

1. I accept Jesus as my savior

I NEED to be saved (more so from myself) Jesus will save you from adultry, lies, paths that you choose starting with forgiveness. He wants you to start by commiting with what we understand so far, with the little we know of God. The process will start after that commitment is made.

2. I accep God's Word as my standard.

This means reading the bible and learning everyday.

"All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the faith and correcting error, for resetting the direction of a man's life and training him in good living". Timothy 3:16

3. I accept God's Will as my strategy.

Everyday try to accomplish God's Will. God wants you to forgive, God wants you to change, God wants you to be honest - these are God's terms.

4. I accept God's Power as my strength.

No longer rely on yourself. Rely on God - he will give you all the strength you need.

Amen!!

Awesome post and insight.

Thank you.

Thank you Dorry,
What an inspiring serman.
I missed church yesterday, and I draw my strength for the week from it.
You made my evening.

btw - I just reread - I so apologize for all my typos - I just wanted to type it all out from my notes fast LOL

Hi Dorry. Very good and very "right on."

But as is usually the case with God, "there is more to the story."

Care to hear a little more that "adds to the balance?"

God put us "in control" of things here on earth. HOW that control is exercise is what's important. Just as Jesus HAD the power to NOT go to the cross, He submitted His will to the Father's will, as we should also do. We ARE "in control" of our choices. God made us, especially men, "warriors," not "meek and spineless." Satan loves to take the truths of God and twist them to deceive us and to rob us of our strength and will to DO what God commands. When God says something like, "the meek shall inherit the earth," or "do not judge," Satan is quick to take that truth and twist it to attack us. But that a "war" is on is quite clear from the admonition to put on the "full armor of God" so that we can stand. We stand FOR God and against the lies and deceit of Satan. We "go boldly into the night," even sacrificing our lives for our "lost sheep of a spouse" if necessary, because we STAND on God's definition of love...and that is NOT meek or cowardly.

Forgiveness is HARD, until we "let go" and trust God to be faithful to HIS word. So I like very much your description of meekness as "strength under control."

God bless.

Not my description - my wonderful pastor's description.

thanks for adding a bit - I always love to hear more - you can only learn so much in a one hour sermon <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I love my church <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I found it back in April when things were heading downhill for H & I (at that time) - I had been looking for a church with a pastor that really sent messages to me - and I found one - every Sunday he makes a profound impact on my life and keeps me learning and thirsting for more knowledge on Christ.

Dorry

you and Bob have got to stop...you are making me think way to much!! <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Like you I am now back in the fold of the church and go with my DD and Mike and sometimes depending on how guilty he is feeling from the night before my DS <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

There are a lot more young families with babies there these days & its kinda nice to see that.

Forgiveness and trust in God .. seems to be a big topic these days. Bob, I and few others had a long conv about these matters some time ago, obviously me from a RC point of view and others from their point of view... of course knowing the RC church the devil IS in the details..lol

I guess after Peter died I did not trust God or my H or M or much of anything for so long. I forgot that sometimes the ans to your prayers is a firm NO.
Took an affair and a lot of pain to see that again.
Dont we say around here that a lot of times you need to hit rock bottom before you see what reality is?

But I came home to God eventually Dorry. Now I know my prayers are listened to its just that I may not like the answer I get.
I may not know what Gods plans are but I trust in His wisdom and love.

But DORRY I do worry about Aussie both for his life of course, but also his soul because he doesn't believe in much these days.
I've talked with the Arch BISHOP many times on his matter and in the end it comes down to a very simple truth..there are no unbelievers in a foxhole.
I suppose its going to take along time for the scars to fade
and healing to begin after his experiences. I have to let that happen.

Aussie finally agreed to Mikes Baptism which we had before he went away. SO I suppose that means hes not totally shut his mind to God. And it also means I have to leave it in Gods hands and trust that God will provide what he needs in that area.

I admit that I have to slap myself from trying to interfere though <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Sprint was raised in a very strict 7th day aventist family - and he can quote the bible, interpret it , etc - He believes in god - has no doubt - but wont put faith or trust in god. Feels alot of what he has done in his life keeps God from accepting him. I wonder if Aussie might feel the same way - Sprint got out of the Canadian Airborne (special forces in canada before JTF-2 - similar to SASR) just before they were disbanded, and luckily (sadly in his perspective) never made it to a full blown war - but trained most of the special forcses who went out. Even just being involved with missions, etc in the special forces - they do things that other soldiers don't do - things that would no wonder make them not believe or want to in God, or feel they are not worth of God - or whatever.

I let God back in my life a week after d-day - and slowly and surely I have been learning to accept, trust and give my life to God - definately easier said than done!

I am going to have my kids dedicated this fall <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Sprint will come - and he is okay with it - but he still wont come to church with us.

Keep praying, and keep setting the example AW and one day Aussie will come around - it may take years, but keep going, keep setting the example, and keep praying. God is probably working hard on "softening" Aussie up <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> (and he needs lotsa that doesn't he <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> )

((((HUGS))))